A little question about gravel cleaners

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axolotllover88

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Hello forum,

I am getting ready to set up my first 50 gallon tank for four axolotls and have seen a lot of people using gravel cleaners. whats a good one?what dose it hook up to or run off of?


I have also heard of people taking silicon and using it to make their sand stick to the bottom of the tank forever.is that a good idea?how would i clean this?

Please help me out
thank you
 
Never use gravel in an axolotl tank. They can swallow it, causing impaction and death.
Also, never put any rocks in your tank that are smaller than an adult axolotl's head. An axolotl can swallow anything as large as its head. Larger rocks should be fine.

Either go for a bare bottom tank or use sand. Sand is easy to clean, just siphon over it. And it's cheap :)

Just make sure you use fine sand, and not coarse sand.
 
what about the sticking the sand to the bottom? what kind of sand is best?
 
There are many different kinds of sand on the market. You can buy some at the pet store, but you can also just buy some play sand.

No matter what kind you get though, make sure to wash it. And like I said, make sure it's fine sand, and doesn't have sharp bits of seashell in it.
Here's a little video with some tips:
HOW TO: Add Sand To Your Aquarium - YouTube

Honestly, I wouldn't suggest sticking the sand to the bottom... that's just not maneuverable at all.
 
that was very helpful thank you.

now what kind of sand cleaner would u use for axolotls?
 
I just siphon the dirt on the sand out with a hose (dead plant material, leftover food, poop, etc). Be careful to nudge your axolotls out of the way before you hose a certain spot though. Hose suction can be dangerous, and the poor axies are sometimes too curious for their own good.

You also don't need a huge amount of sand, a layer of an inch or less is more than enough. (that's roughly about 2cm)
 
do i need to change out the sand? how often?
 
Probably not at all unless you decide you want a change. The sand I have in my big tank has some in it from my very first small tank, and the rest from the 4ft tank. As long as your cleaning system keeps the gunk from building up, you should be fine long-term.
 
Siphons need to be siphoned into a bucket. You can get fancy "Python" systems that hook up to your tap, but I prefer the bucket, rather than running hoses all over the house. You can buy a siphon, or you can just use a piece of hose.

I use airline tubing for my small tanks and a cheapo generic siphon for the big tanks. Make sure you stir up the sand with the siphon to get all the gunk out. If you silicone it to the bottom, you'll just need to remove the waste from the top. You can siphon or turkey baster it.

I use pool filter sand. Some of it has been in my tanks for 10 years.
 
I use a gravel cleaner/siphon to clean my tank out. I just put the dirty water into a bucket. You just have to make sure you don't catch the axolotl which could get sucked up (seen some sad threads on here with that situation). Using a small pipe would work if you don't want to risk it.
 
Hi there, just reading through and thought I'd put my 2 cents in.

The gravel vac looks fine, almost identical to the one I'm using. Good for stirring up the sand and I put the waste water into a bucket which then goes on the garden = happy plants.

I'd advise against THAT particular sand - there have been a few threads relating to it, one with a tragic ending ...... I think it has some larger particles and is quite sharp to the touch.

There any many different types of sand around, and quite a few threads on the forum from others with the same query, as Kaysie mentioned Pool Filter sand and Play Sand are fine and also much cheaper than coloured sands but if you prefer a bit of colour they are available too ...... Just be careful to wash it and wash it and wash it thoroughly and then again once you think it's clean :D

Good luck and post a pic when you're done, we love new photos :happy:
 
thank you so much that sand was worring me so i didnt want to order it yet.
 
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